LAST-MINUTE GEMS

Top jazz names take their craft outdoors

June 09, 2006|By Howard Reich

One sure sign summer is near: Tuesdays at the Terrace has started at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Unique among this city's seemingly endless array of jazz attractions, Tuesdays at the Terrace invites listeners to hear some of Chicago's top jazz artists in a casual, outdoor setting--the spacious, upper-deck terrace at the MCA.

Though it's true that the cocktail-hour chatter can get a bit intense, listeners who position themselves closest to the performers typically encounter the least amount of the aural distraction.

But it's the quality of the lineup, as well as the opportunity to hear major artists performing with the skyline as a backdrop, that distinguishes the series.

Anytime performers as significant as saxophone icon Fred Anderson, avant-garde cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and trumpeter Corey Wilkes appear on the same roster, it's clear that some savvy curator has tuned in to the sound of Chicago jazz.